When did the Russian matryoshka Vasily Zvezdochkin invent a Russian doll? Russian matryoshka: a story for children

Probably, there is no man on earth who, at least once in his life, did not see a small, plump, painted doll in bright colors. Of course, this is a Russian doll. In itself, it causes so much positive that even foreigners, when they come to Russia, consider matryoshka a must-have souvenir. A kind and cheerful round face causes a smile, regardless of mood. And because few people know that this is not a folk toy. And when the Russian matryoshka craftsman Vasily Zvezdochkin came up with it, almost nobody guessed.

Developing Designer

And how happy the little one is when he takes in his hands this wooden miracle! For children this is also not just a doll, but also a kind of designer. Indeed, thanks to its peculiarities, the Russian folk matryoshka develops children's thinking.

The secret lies in its design. The fact is that this doll is collapsible. It consists of two parts, disconnecting which, you will see inside exactly the same fatty, only smaller in size. Sometimes such "clones" number as many as 48 pieces! One can imagine a child's joy when such a treasure is discovered - many miniature toys.

In addition, according to experts, this form of presentation trains the child's intellect, showing him that everything in life goes from small to large, and vice versa.

Mastery and sophistication

Adults are struck by the sophistication of turning and artwork, especially in dolls with a large nesting. After all, the smallest Russian matryoshka (pictures that accompany us all my life) sometimes do not exceed a few millimeters in height. Nevertheless, it is painted by hand. Just like great.

Despite the simplicity and simplicity of the toy, as soon as you take it in your hands, you feel like a part of the ancient Russian ethnos. Interesting is the fact that they invented and made the doll relatively recently. And although historians find it difficult to say when the Russian matryoshka Vasily Zvezdochkin came up with the idea, it was established that this miracle appeared in the 90s of the XIX century.

Legends around the history of origin

The history of Russian nesting dolls, according to a popular version, began in the workshop "Children's Education", owned by the family AI Mamontov (brother of the world-famous industrialist and philanthropist Savva Mamontov). There is a legend according to which, Anatoly Mamontov's wife brought from Japan, where she traveled for a long time, an amazing toy figure of the Japanese god Fukorokojo. In Russia it was called Fukuruma. Curiously, there is no such word in the Japanese language, and, most likely, the name of Fukurum is already the Russian version of the name of the Japanese god. The toy figure was an interesting secret. It was divided into two halves, and inside it was a small copy, also consisting of two parts.

Co-authorship

A handsome god delighted the famous modernist artist Sergei Malyutin. Admiring the curiosity, Malyutin suddenly caught on with an interesting idea. To implement it, he drew the turner Vasily Petrovich Zvezdochkin, a hereditary toy. Malyutin asked the master to make a small wooden blank, which was made in a matter of minutes. Passing the disc to the artist's hands, the turner still did not understand the meaning of the idea. Without wasting time, Malyutin, picking up paint, personally painted a wooden block.

What was Zdojchkin's surprise when he saw that the result was a little round girl in a simple peasant sarafan with a rooster in her hands. It consisted of two halves, inside which was the same young lady, but smaller. There were eight in all, each holding a different object. There was a sickle for harvest, a basket, and a jug. It is interesting that the last figure represented the most ordinary baby.

However, historians-biographers who studied Malyutin's activities are rather skeptical about this beautiful legend. Russian matryoshka, pictures of which (at least sketchy) are not found in the artist's heritage, could not be invented in a second. And to communicate with the turner, sketches and drawings were needed.

Why the doll is called a nesting doll

Historians almost unanimously assert that the name of Matryona is the most widespread in the villages of Russia at the end of the 19th century. It is possible that this is what prompted the authors of the toy. And here is another suggestion: when they came up with a Russian matryoshka, its name came from the word "matron", that is, the mother of a large family. They say that it was in this way that the doll makers wanted to emphasize the peace and kindness of their invention. And they gave her a very affectionate and tender name.

And one more version

The toy-turner himself claimed that the first Russian matryoshka was made according to a drawing from a magazine. He sawed out the "deaf" figure (that is, it was not revealed). The doll was more like a nun, and the look was hilarious. After making a figure, the master then gave it to the artists to paint. This version can also serve as a kind of answer to the question of when the Russian matryoshka craftsman Vasily Zvezdochkin came up with the idea.

There is, however, the likelihood that the figure was actually painted by Sergei Malyutin. Because at that time he actively collaborated with the publishing house Mamontov and was engaged in illustrations for children's books. In other words, these two people were at one time quite close to each other. Nevertheless, there is no reliable version when the Russian matryoshka Vasily Zvezdochkin came up with a Russian matryoshka. It is only known that the doll does not have ancient roots.

How matryoshkas were put on stream

Mamontov liked the idea with a folding doll, and in Abramtsevo, where his main workshop was located, stream production was soon established. Photo of Russian nesting dolls confirm that the first prototypes of folding figures were rather modest. The girls are "dressed" in simple peasant dresses, which are not distinguished by special delights. Over time, these patterns became more complex and brighter.

The number of nested figures also changed. Ancient photos of Russian nesting dolls show us that at the beginning of the 20th century it was considered the standard to produce 24-local toys, and in exceptional cases also 48-local ones. In 1900 the workshop "Child Education" was closed, but the production of matryoshkas does not stop. It is transferred to Sergiev Posad, 80 km north of Moscow.

Is there a deep meaning in the image of a nesting doll

If we talk about a possible prototype, from which the history of Russian nesting dolls began, then we need to return to the figure of the Japanese god Fukurokuju. What is this god in Japanese mythology? The ancient sages believed that man has seven bodies: physical, etheric, astral, cosmic, nirvana, mental and spiritual. Moreover, each state of the body corresponded to its god. Proceeding from this teaching, an unknown Japanese architect made his figure "seven-seater".

It seems to be a complete resemblance to the known samples and photos of Russian dolls? Really, and not from such motives did Zvezdochkin himself and other masters proceed to create this amazing doll? Perhaps they wanted to show the versatility of the primordially Russian woman, to whom any work is on the shoulder?

Suffice it to recall the different items that are held in the hands of each nesting doll. A story for children would be very instructive. But this version is unlikely. Because the master Zvezdochkin never in his life recalled any Japanese gods, especially with such complex names. Well, the big "nesting" of Russian dolls does not match the Japanese prototype at all. The number of internal dolls was measured in dozens. So the story with the seven bodies of the Japanese god is most likely just a beautiful legend.

Monk Shaolin and Matryoshka

And yet in Eastern mythology there is one more character, a Russian matryoshka could become a descendant of it. The history for children offers to get acquainted with the monk Darumoy. This is an analog of the famous Chinese folklore character Bodhidharma - the founder of the famous Shaolin Monastery.

According to the ancient Japanese legend, Daruma decided to achieve perfection by plunging into meditation. For 9 years he looked at the wall, not taking his eyes off, but soon realized that he was just asleep. And then Daruma cut his eyelids with a knife, throwing them to the ground. And even after a little time, the monk's arms and legs fell away from sitting for a long time in one pose. That is why the figures with his image were made armless and legless.

However, the hypothesis of the emergence of a Russian doll in Daruma's image is very imperfect. The reason lies on the surface. The fact is that the Daruma doll is undiluted and made like our nevilyashki. Therefore, although we see that the customs are similar, the history of origin of both dolls is clearly different.

Make a wish and trust his nesting doll

An interesting belief is connected with the eyes of Daruma. They are usually depicted on the doll as very large and without pupils. The Japanese buy these figures and make a wish that it must be fulfilled. In this case, symbolically coloring one eye. In a year, if the desire is fulfilled, the doll is "opened" and the second eye. Otherwise, the figure is simply taken to the temple, from which it was brought.

Why so much attention to the ancient Japanese beliefs? The answer is simple. Not only that a photo of Russian nesting dolls shows us the similarity, so also similar rituals are conducted with it. It is believed that if you insert a note with desire into the doll, it will certainly come true.

It is also interesting that the quality of the fulfillment of desire directly depends on the artistic complexity of the doll. The more "nesting" a matryoshka possesses, and the more cleverly it is painted with bright colors, the higher the chances of guessing to get the innermost.

But still...

By the way, the history of the appearance of collapsible dolls has its roots in the Russian past. Even in Ancient Rus were known so-called pysanka - artistically painted Easter eggs made of wood. Sometimes they were made hollow inside and laid there a smaller egg. It seems that these pysankas became irreplaceable attributes in Russian folk tales, where the death of Kashchei was necessarily in the egg, the egg in the duck and so on.

It's strange to realize that the Russian matryoshka, the pictures of which are presented in this article, is shrouded in so many legends about its origin. However, this is indeed the case. Which proves once again: whoever did the matryoshka doll and whatever he was guided by, this person (or a group of masters) could touch people alive. After all, only that which is very pleasant and constantly on hearing, grows with so many fantastic assumptions. Russian nesting doll - a souvenir, which is happy and old, and young. It is a fact.

Museum exhibits

In Sergiev Posad, a toy museum was organized. There, among other things, the first doll is also on display. The one that is colored in a colorful sarafan, and with a cock in her hands. There are seven attachments in it, that is, this eight-piece doll is the top girl, then three sisters, a brother and three sisters with a baby carapace. The museum of Russian nesting dolls is also organized in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kalyazin, etc.

But nesting dolls are so popular that in modern execution one can meet not only a beautiful girl. Very interesting are the characters of cartoons, politicians, all kinds of animals, made in the form of a collapsible toy.

Sometimes it is said that the first doll had 7 attachments. Although he himself Zvezdochkin claimed that the matryoshka dolls he made were three- and six-seated. In general, it is clear that we can not get to the truth. We are happy to see the toys displayed in the windows, and when we learn their history, we fall in love even more.